Client
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Location
Canada
Service Areas
Prism was asked to review the existing laboratory ventilation systems at Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ (DFO) Institute of Ocean Science (IOS) facilities and investigate measures for capital upgrades to the laboratory ventilation system for system renewal.
This study identified practical options for upgrading the fume hood exhaust and HVAC systems for the building while minimizing occupant disruption. Details included advantages and disadvantages of each system, installation requirements and ease of maintenance and system modifications. Prism provided a summary of cost-effective upgrades and a financial analysis which incorporated estimated energy savings.
Recommended improvements included:
- Retrofitting the existing lab fume hoods from constant volume to variable volume
- Revising the control strategy to reduce the effective air change rate
- Installing heat recovery from the lab exhaust
- Retrofitting an automated sash management system
- Installing manual isolation dampers on point source exhaust systems
- Implementing canopy hood demand-based exhaust
- Implementing a lab user and, health and safety engagement program
If recommendations were implemented, the estimated savings include $10,300 for electricity and $34,600 for natural gas. The combined total annual savings are $44,800, or nearly 8% of the facility energy costs. The anticipated reduction of GHG emissions into the atmosphere is 110 tonnes of equivalent CO2 (eCO2) per year, or 17.3 % of site emissions.